International Medical Corps’ emergency response teams are on the ground in Nepal following the devastating earthquake. The organization’s teams are working to deliver lifesaving medicines and supplies, coordinating with local and international partners and conducting assessments near the epicenter of the quake. International Medical Corps is also deploying additional staff and resources to support relief efforts and will be operating mobile medical units in the hardest-hit areas. Many health facilities are damaged or destroyed and those that are functioning are running low on supplies including antibiotics and IV fluids.
“We’re providing medical relief, treating patients and trying to assess the extent of the damage and see how best we can mobilize supplies and resources,” said Chris Skopec, Senior Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response for International Medical Corps. “First and foremost, we need more resources on the ground…human resources, doctors, nurses. We need pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and we need the ability to bring clean water to the people that need it the most in a place where cholera is endemic.”
The Nepal earthquake has resulted in more than 3,350 deaths and catastrophic damage to homes and infrastructure. Powerful aftershocks continue to strike areas already reeling from the quake, resulting in additional injuries, damage to buildings and avalanches on Mount Everest. In addition to medical care, health officials on the ground are concerned about the potential for outbreaks of waterborne illnesses and other communicable diseases. International Medical Corps teams will be distributing essential supplies including hygiene kits and water purification tablets.
International Medical Corps has extensive experience in the region and has responded to the Pakistan earthquake in 2005, the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and the Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011.